Wat Preah Yesu

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Wat Preah Yesu is a children's home, school, and church near Siem Reap, Cambodia. In 2007 it cared for about 134 children. Many are orphans because of HIV/AIDS, and some have the disease themselves.

The name comes from Khmer words meaning temple, sacred, and Jesus, so it is often called “Jesus pagoda.” The place also houses Cambodia Adventist School – Kantrok on the same property.

Some children stay as boarders; others may come from other homes. Children live in “families” of up to 16 with a married couple who act as house parents. By 2007 there were four duplex houses, with eight more planned to help house up to 250 children. The staff are volunteers, including teachers and house parents. The leaders, Tim and Wendy Maddocks, are Australians.

The property is 19 hectares and was bought in 1996 for US$10,000. A health center operated there for years but closed because of government regulations.

Groups from abroad regularly volunteer, including Marienhoehe College in Germany and the Collegedale Church in Tennessee, USA. In 2006 a team from Avondale College in Australia helped, and in late 2007/early 2008 about 40 volunteers from Kellyville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sydney helped finish another house, raised about $50,000 for materials, and bought a generator and supplies for each home. Avondale School planned another visit in 2009, and 30 staff and students from Avondale School stayed there in November 2007.

Cambodia Adventist School – Kantrok began in 1999 as a literacy school for poor children. In 2004 it was officially recognized by the Cambodian government as a primary school. Having a Seventh-day Adventist school matters because government schools teach on Saturdays, which conflicts with Adventist Sabbath beliefs, and many government schools won’t allow Saturday time off.